Summary

• 2 days of negotiations last week
• Team focused on achieving modest but fair set of claims for all members
• Still have not received all employer claims
• Negotiations resume on Aug 19-20

Tēnā koutou,

University employment negotiations began last on Thursday last week when our combined union team, representing staff from all eight universities, met with the university employers negotiating team for two days last week.

Union members have agreed to a modest and limited claim that focuses on protecting jobs and ensuring everybody has fair working conditions.

After two days of negotiations the employers have still not given us their full list of claims.”  Instead most of the first two days were spent agreeing to a bargaining process agreement which outlines the rules by which bargaining is conducted and what happens if negotiations break down.”  We are legally required to at least attempt to achieve a bargaining process agreement before beginning employment negotiations.

An independent mediator, whose job it is to help negotiators reach an agreement, was present on Friday for the second day of negotiations and both parties have agreed to have her present for the remainder of the negotiations.

The next two days of negotiations are now scheduled for August 19 – 20.

The union bargaining team members are committed to progressing important claims like guaranteeing no compulsory redundancies during the term of the agreement, beginning a gender equity audit, starting to limit workload and protecting the working conditions and rights of ordinary union members.”  We have all been reading comments that union members have been leaving online and have been taking heart from the strong nationwide support that members are showing:

http://tertiaryeducationunion.ning.com/forum/topics/support-your-bargaining-team

Please continue to use this forum to tell us what issues you want raised at negotiations and how you think negotiations should proceed.”  We will continue to keep you updated regularly.

from Nanette Cormack

lead advocate on behalf of the combined unions’ negotiation team